Clematis 'Piilu' - gave up after 4 years and now it flowers

yarrow2 · June 2018

Planted this in the ground 4 years ago. It shrivelled up leaving only one stem which wilted and turned brown. Planted it in a 10" x 10" pot (sorry I'm still in old 'money'), nothing happened the following two years except the one stem which shrivelled away. Left the pot behind a garden bench with a little metal trellis supporting a jasmine (officianale) attached. Forgot all about it - and would you know it - the 'one stem' of the Piilu has produced 10 buds and the first opened today. I think it's smaller than the flowers are meant to be, but I think it still looks lovely.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/bc/bg1jevuspsdf.jpg

Clematis Piilu

It's a Group 2 - but I'm thinking now that it has shown signs of life - I'll wait until it has fully flowered and finished - and instead of giving the one stem a short prune in the hope of late summer single flowers - I'll re-pot it in a bigger pot, pot it deeper to try and get more stems coming up and leave it in the same pleased.

I'm really pleased to see flowering - but puzzled at what upset it the other 3 years. Ah well. The wonders of gardening!

Obelixx · June 2018

I find clematis can take a while to settle down and, like you, have given up on some only to find they come up and flower 2 or 3 years later when I've long lost the label and also bought and planted others. Piilu was a case in point. Unfortunately, clobbered by a very severe winter the year after it came back. Never saw it again.

I tended to treat group 2s like group 3s in my last garden as there was all too often no living stems above ground after our winter or so few buds that it was best to cut them down in March and then give them a good feed.

Good luck getting this one going. Good plan.

Clematis 'Piilu' - gave up after 4 years and now it flowers

Posts